Three Great Green Careers with a Future

If you are serious about going green it may not be enough for you to change to cloth diapers and recycle everything that comes into your hands. For some, a change of job is exactly what the environment ordered. Several green careers are taking off at the speed of light. Do any of these new fields appeal to you?

Solar Installation

With an average starting salary of $35,000, installing solar panels is a good way to earn a living and have a positive impact on the environment. 2010 saw a surge in businesses investing in solar panels, even at $2.5 to $4 per watt. Chances are homeowners will join the trend as prices continue to drop. As long as you aren’t afraid of heights, this is an open ended opportunity.

Installing Wind Turbines

Formerly installing wind turbines fell to engineers but several schools are now offering the high tech training needed to do the work without the PhD. Installing these huge machines takes a lot of education, but the starting salary can be $52,000-$62,000 right out of school. Just as solar energy projects are gaining in popularity, so are wind turbine projects. If you have a traveling bone in your body, contribute to the ecology by helping to install wind turbines around the country.

Retrofitting Buildings

If you prefer to work for yourself then consider starting up a business which specializes in retrofitting buildings and homes. Toxins, molds and chemicals build up within homes and offices. Eliminating them by using safer materials is a growing field. Many companies, as well as individuals, want the space in which they spend their time to be LEED certified, or green. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Add to that the stricter government standards and it is easy to see why the field of energy auditors is growing. Starting salaries are $30,000-$60,000.

These are just a few of your options if you want to turn your hand towards protecting the environment. Environmental based jobs are expected to grow in popularity over the next several years. This is your opportunity to get in on the ground floor.

Michael Rupkalvis works with the LedBulbsandLights website. The site features a variety of different types of environmentally-friendly LED products, including tube LEDs and other LED bulbs.